Illegal (group)
Encyclopedia
Illegal was a short-lived hip hop duo composed of Jamal Phillips (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) and Malik Edwards (Holly Hill, South Carolina) that was signed to Rowdy Records
. The duo was known to be affiliated with the hip-hop collective Hit Squad
, made their debut with the album, The Untold Truth
, released in 1993, which became a minor success, peaking at #119 on the Billboard 200
and #19 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
. Several tracks on the album, including its two singles, "Head or Gut
" and "We Getz Busy
," were diss songs directly aimed at rivals Kris Kross
and Da Youngstas. The duo virtually disappeared from the public eye until 1995, when it teamed with Too Short on the song "Thangs Change," after which the group disbanded. Jamal Phillips would later release his debut solo album, Last Chance, No Breaks
, in 1995 on Rowdy Records. Malik released one single for Rowdy Records titled "Malik Goes On," but his debut album was shelved. Malik worked with his cousin Snoop Dogg
on Doggystyle
, Warren G
on Regulate...G Funk Era, and Tha Dogg Pound
on Dogg Food
and finally released his debut album in 2005, The Game Needs Me.
Rowdy Records
Rowdy Records is a record label, distributed through Motown Records.-History:Formed in 1992 by producers Dallas Austin and L.A. Reid, Rowdy was initially distributed through Arista Records. At the time, Austin had gained notoriety for writing and producing hits for acts like Monica, Another Bad...
. The duo was known to be affiliated with the hip-hop collective Hit Squad
Hit Squad
The Hit Squad was a 1990s hip hop collective of East coast hip hop artists formed by Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith better known as EPMD. The collective separated when EPMD broke up for the first time in 1993, later reforming as Def Squad.-Career:...
, made their debut with the album, The Untold Truth
The Untold Truth
The Untold Truth is the only album by the group Illegal, which was released on August 24, 1993, on Rowdy/Arista/BMG Records and featured production from Lord Finesse, Diamond D, Biz Markie, and Erick Sermon. The album was a minor success, peaking at #119 on the Billboard 200 and #19 on the Top...
, released in 1993, which became a minor success, peaking at #119 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
and #19 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...
. Several tracks on the album, including its two singles, "Head or Gut
Head or Gut
"Head or Gut" is the first single released from Illegal's debut album, The Untold Truth. It was released on April 5, 1993 and was written by Jamal Phillips and Erick Sermon, with Sermon also producing the song. The song was a diss aimed at rival rap group, Kris Kross.-A-Side:#"Head or Gut" -...
" and "We Getz Busy
We Getz Busy
"We Getz Busy" was the second single released from Illegal's debut album, The Untold Truth. It was written, produced and featured Erick Sermon...
," were diss songs directly aimed at rivals Kris Kross
Kris Kross
Kris Kross was an American rap duo of the 1990s comprising Chris "Mac Daddy" Kelly and Chris "Daddy Mac" Smith. The duo are best known for their hit 1992 song "Jump", which was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks and was certified double platinum as a single...
and Da Youngstas. The duo virtually disappeared from the public eye until 1995, when it teamed with Too Short on the song "Thangs Change," after which the group disbanded. Jamal Phillips would later release his debut solo album, Last Chance, No Breaks
Last Chance, No Breaks
Last Chance, No Breaks is the solo debut album by emcee Jamal, which was released on October 10, 1995, by Rowdy Records and featured production from Erick Sermon, Easy Mo Bee, Redman, and Mike Dean. The album proved to be minor success, peaking at #198 on the Billboard 200, #37 on the Top...
, in 1995 on Rowdy Records. Malik released one single for Rowdy Records titled "Malik Goes On," but his debut album was shelved. Malik worked with his cousin Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...
on Doggystyle
Doggystyle
Doggystyle is the debut album from American rapper Snoop Dogg; released by Death Row Records on November 23, 1993. The album was recorded soon following the release of Dr. Dre's landmark debut album The Chronic , to which Snoop Dogg contributed significantly. His musical stylizations for the album...
, Warren G
Warren G
Warren G , is an American West Coast rapper and hip hop producer. He is also Dr. Dre's half-brother.His biggest hit is the song "Regulate" with Nate Dogg released in 1994...
on Regulate...G Funk Era, and Tha Dogg Pound
Tha Dogg Pound
Tha Dogg Pound is a rap group made up of Daz Dillinger and Kurupt. They were signed to Death Row Records in their early careers and were key to the label's success. The group made their 1992 rap debut on Dr. Dre's The Chronic, on various songs. They also appeared on Snoop Dogg's debut album...
on Dogg Food
Dogg Food
Dogg Food is the debut studio album by American hip hop group Tha Dogg Pound. Its controversial lyrics were the subject of shareholder protest...
and finally released his debut album in 2005, The Game Needs Me.
Albums
| Year | Title | Chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
U.S. R&B Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
||
| 1993 | The Untold Truth The Untold Truth The Untold Truth is the only album by the group Illegal, which was released on August 24, 1993, on Rowdy/Arista/BMG Records and featured production from Lord Finesse, Diamond D, Biz Markie, and Erick Sermon. The album was a minor success, peaking at #119 on the Billboard 200 and #19 on the Top...
|
119 | 19 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
U.S. R&B Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
U.S. Rap Hot Rap Tracks Rap Songs is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stations and sales in hip hop-focused or exclusive markets. From 1989 through 2001, it was based on how much the single... |
|||
| 1993 | "Head or Gut Head or Gut "Head or Gut" is the first single released from Illegal's debut album, The Untold Truth. It was released on April 5, 1993 and was written by Jamal Phillips and Erick Sermon, with Sermon also producing the song. The song was a diss aimed at rival rap group, Kris Kross.-A-Side:#"Head or Gut" -... " |
– | – | – | The Untold Truth |
| "We Getz Busy We Getz Busy "We Getz Busy" was the second single released from Illegal's debut album, The Untold Truth. It was written, produced and featured Erick Sermon... " |
95 | 57 | 1 | ||
| 1994 | "Back in the Day Back in the Day (Illegal song) "Back in the Day" was the third and final single released from Illegal's debut album, The Untold Truth. It was written by members Jamal and Malik, each detailing their hardships growin up... " |
– | 80 | 21 | |